Officials make another pitch for JetBlue

Tuesday

Mar 5, 2013 at 6:00 AMMar 5, 2013 at 3:20 PM

Worcester and state officials continued efforts to woo JetBlue to Worcester Regional Airport with a visit to the airline's New York headquarters Monday. “It was a very promising meeting,” said Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray.

By Priyanka Dayal McCluskey TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Worcester and state officials continued efforts to woo JetBlue to Worcester Regional Airport with a visit to the airline's New York headquarters Monday.

Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray said the officials had another positive meeting with executives from JetBlue Airways Corp., who are considering adding Worcester to their list of destinations. The city has been without passenger service since the collapse of charter air service Direct Air last year.

Since then, city, state and Massachusetts Port Authority officials have engaged in a very public campaign to bring JetBlue, a popular discount airline, to Worcester.

“It was a very promising meeting,” Mr. Murray said.

City Manager Michael V. O'Brien said: “JetBlue is infamous for their due diligence. They are in the final stages of that effort. We expect a favorable outcome.”

Neither he nor Mr. Murray would say when the airline might make an announcement about its Worcester plans. JetBlue executives previously have said they would make a decision this year.

The airline is considering two flights a day from Worcester to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., beginning in 2014, according to Massport, which operates the airport.

Massport Aviation Director Edward C. Freni and Chief Financial Officer John Pranckevicius accompanied the lieutenant governor and the city manager on the visit to JetBlue's offices in Queens, N.Y., on Monday. They took a JetBlue flight from Boston, one of the airline's hubs.

Their visit came after three executives from JetBlue visited Worcester in January, meeting with business leaders, college presidents and elected officials. At the time, Martin J. St. George, JetBlue's senior vice president of marketing and commercial strategy, said the airline gets pitches all the time from cities that want to be on its destination list.

The lieutenant governor said what sets Worcester apart is the enthusiasm local residents have for the airline, and the fact that JetBlue CEO David Barger took the time to visit the city last year. “And they have a very good working relationship with Massport,” he said.

“They're the type of airline when they come to a new community, they are all in,” Mr. Murray said.

The meeting Monday lasted about an hour. Afterward, Mr. St. George said on Twitter: “Promising meeting w MA Lt Gov Murray and the delegation from ORH. Great team up there.”

Thomas P. Glynn, chief executive officer of Massport, said in a recent interview that his agency is in touch with the airline almost daily about “various data points.” Massport is not spending as much time trying to bring other major airlines to Worcester.

“Realistically,” Mr. Glynn said, “the other airlines want to see what happens to JetBlue. But everybody is open to doing something if JetBlue is as successful as we believe it will be.”